Listen to this BBC Radio 4 programme, which was aired on 29 December 2007 (57 min)
Ray Gosling revisits his home town of Northampton, once the centre of the British shoemaking industry. Since the 1960s, most of the footwear factories have closed and shoe fashions have changed dramatically. Ray visits a remarkable museum of shoes and tracks down some of the remaining manufacturers, finding out how traditional leather shoes are made and why a certain market for them continues to thrive.
London College of Fashion Shoe Making Course
The London College of Fashion has announced a shoemaking short course for Summer 2008. Participants will make a pair of ladies court shoes. For further information click here.
This beginner's shoe making course will introduce participants to all the terminology and processes involved in making footwear.
The course will include:
Closing (stitching the upper)
Preparing the insole
Lasting (shaping the leather)
Attaching the heels and soles
This is an evening course lasting 10 weeks (one evening per week, 21 April - 7 July 2008, 6pm - 9pm). The price is £494.00.
Medieval Tailor's Assistant: Making Common Garments 1200-1500
Sarah's extremely popular book is now out of print, and for this reason we are not able to provide you with further copies - sorry ! You may find a second-hand copy here or elsewhere - good luck !.
Sarah Thursfield's book covers everything you ever wanted to know about medieval clothing, from measurements, patterns and materials to methods of construction. It has over 400 illustrations of medieval clothing, and 121 patterns for shirts and smocks, cotes, doublets, kirtles, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, headwear and accessories.
Current books on the subject of Medieval costume concentrate either on research (with good information on what was worn, but little on how to actually make it) or towards theatrical costume (with information on how to make the items, but dubious historical accuracy.) The Medieval Tailor's Assistant is the best of both worlds, combining solid research and detailed 'how-to' information into one volume.
This book is geared more toward the novice or intermediate costumer than the advanced historic costume researcher. As it is not primarily a research work, it doesn't delve into original sources as much as books like Janet Arnold's 'Patterns of Fashion'. The research which went into it is very good, however, and it gives less experienced historic costumers a splendid place to start.
